❓ Mr. Hatton asks about the Liberal-National government's efforts to maintain high-quality vocational education after WA's Jared Stone was named Australian Apprentice of the Year. The Minister details investments, enrolment increases, student satisfaction, and new programs like Priority Start and Muresk Institute revitalization.
AnsweredQoN 1045Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
VOCATIONAL
EDUCATION AND TRAINING — AUSTRALIAN APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR — JARED
STONE
1045. Mr C.D. HATTON to the
Minister for Training and Workforce Development:
I note that Western Australia's Jared Stone was named
this year's Australian Apprentice of the Year. Can the minister advise
what the Liberal–National government is doing to ensure that this state
continues to produce high-quality students from the vocational education and
training sector?
EDUCATION AND TRAINING — AUSTRALIAN APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR — JARED
STONE
1045. Mr C.D. HATTON to the
Minister for Training and Workforce Development:
I note that Western Australia's Jared Stone was named
this year's Australian Apprentice of the Year. Can the minister advise
what the Liberal–National government is doing to ensure that this state
continues to produce high-quality students from the vocational education and
training sector?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Balcatta for a question on training. I
love the opportunity to speak about training in this place. It is a rare
opportunity.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Willagee, I call you to order for the first time. Member for
Cockburn!
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : Jared Stone is my constituent and I am very proud of him. He
and his parents are very active members of our community, so I was really
thrilled to see him do so well, not only on a state stage in training, but also
by winning the Australian Apprentice of the Year Award. He deserves it and his
family are very proud.
With respect to the state government's investment in
training, we have spent $66.3 million on VET infrastructure and $646.4 million
on the training and workforce development portfolio. We still publicly fund up
to 85 per cent of all our training programs delivered in Western Australia. We
have had a nine per cent increase in enrolments in our priority skills area,
member for Balcatta. Ninety per cent of our students go on to either further
employment —
Mr F.M. Logan interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Cockburn, I call you to order for the second time.
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : Ninety per cent of our students, member for Cockburn, go on to
employment or further studies. We have an 87 per cent student satisfaction
rating with our system. We have embarked on a program of training sector reform,
which I will speak about further as that reform starts to unfold. We have
achieved our commitments to those promises we made to the electorate in 2013.
We are improving the quality and outcomes for our VET in schools program, and
that is a project I have undertaken with the Minister for Education in the
other place. Earlier this year, with the member for Central Wheatbelt, we
announced a $20 million investment to reinvigorate the Muresk Institute. We now
have a commitment and buy-in from businesses and industry into Muresk, with the
Australian Dohne Breeders Association donating 200 ewes to a program at Muresk.
We are now offering contemporary training options through Muresk. Indeed, it is
going very well. We are offering training programs for the agricultural sector.
We have 968 enrolments already in our short courses at Muresk, and we have seen
tremendous interest in the advanced diplomas that we are offering through the
Muresk Institute. We have doubled the accommodation allowances —
Mr F.M. Logan interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Cockburn, you have been called twice.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
We have doubled the accommodation allowances available to apprentices and
trainees in regional areas, so 900 apprentices and trainees are now supported
in their training programs. Our scholarships program for women has been
oversubscribed; that program encourages women to go into areas that have low
female representation. This is on top of the opening of our new Career Centre
at the GPO in Perth. Our Workforce Development Centres are going very well, and
Education and Training International is also going very well with international
student numbers.
I could go on, but I think our
biggest achievement is launching our new Priority Start program. This program
has a requirement —
Mrs
M.H. Roberts interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Midland!
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : This requires contractors that are looking for government
contracts to commit to having 11.5 per cent of their workforce in training or
apprenticeships. The program replaces the Priority Start program implemented by
the Labor government in 2007, which was unwieldy and administratively
burdensome. We now have —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Cockburn, I call you for the third time. Member for Girrawheen, I
call you for the first time.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
We now have industry on side; they need to demonstrate a commitment to training
if they want government contracts. It has been a big year, it is a great
portfolio, our students are happy, and we are getting tremendous outcomes on
the national stage.
love the opportunity to speak about training in this place. It is a rare
opportunity.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Willagee, I call you to order for the first time. Member for
Cockburn!
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : Jared Stone is my constituent and I am very proud of him. He
and his parents are very active members of our community, so I was really
thrilled to see him do so well, not only on a state stage in training, but also
by winning the Australian Apprentice of the Year Award. He deserves it and his
family are very proud.
With respect to the state government's investment in
training, we have spent $66.3 million on VET infrastructure and $646.4 million
on the training and workforce development portfolio. We still publicly fund up
to 85 per cent of all our training programs delivered in Western Australia. We
have had a nine per cent increase in enrolments in our priority skills area,
member for Balcatta. Ninety per cent of our students go on to either further
employment —
Mr F.M. Logan interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Cockburn, I call you to order for the second time.
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : Ninety per cent of our students, member for Cockburn, go on to
employment or further studies. We have an 87 per cent student satisfaction
rating with our system. We have embarked on a program of training sector reform,
which I will speak about further as that reform starts to unfold. We have
achieved our commitments to those promises we made to the electorate in 2013.
We are improving the quality and outcomes for our VET in schools program, and
that is a project I have undertaken with the Minister for Education in the
other place. Earlier this year, with the member for Central Wheatbelt, we
announced a $20 million investment to reinvigorate the Muresk Institute. We now
have a commitment and buy-in from businesses and industry into Muresk, with the
Australian Dohne Breeders Association donating 200 ewes to a program at Muresk.
We are now offering contemporary training options through Muresk. Indeed, it is
going very well. We are offering training programs for the agricultural sector.
We have 968 enrolments already in our short courses at Muresk, and we have seen
tremendous interest in the advanced diplomas that we are offering through the
Muresk Institute. We have doubled the accommodation allowances —
Mr F.M. Logan interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Cockburn, you have been called twice.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
We have doubled the accommodation allowances available to apprentices and
trainees in regional areas, so 900 apprentices and trainees are now supported
in their training programs. Our scholarships program for women has been
oversubscribed; that program encourages women to go into areas that have low
female representation. This is on top of the opening of our new Career Centre
at the GPO in Perth. Our Workforce Development Centres are going very well, and
Education and Training International is also going very well with international
student numbers.
I could go on, but I think our
biggest achievement is launching our new Priority Start program. This program
has a requirement —
Mrs
M.H. Roberts interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Midland!
Mrs
L.M. HARVEY : This requires contractors that are looking for government
contracts to commit to having 11.5 per cent of their workforce in training or
apprenticeships. The program replaces the Priority Start program implemented by
the Labor government in 2007, which was unwieldy and administratively
burdensome. We now have —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Cockburn, I call you for the third time. Member for Girrawheen, I
call you for the first time.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY :
We now have industry on side; they need to demonstrate a commitment to training
if they want government contracts. It has been a big year, it is a great
portfolio, our students are happy, and we are getting tremendous outcomes on
the national stage.
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